A4119 junction improvements near Talbot Green Retail Park

The Council will undertake £150,000 works this summer to improve traffic flow at a busy junction on the A4119 at Talbot Green, having secured Welsh Government funding for the project.

The improvements will be delivered on the A4119’s junction with B4595 Talbot Road, which is in close proximity to the entrance to Talbot Green Retail Park. The project will lengthen the southbound right-turn lane into Talbot Green which will give vehicles turning right, towards Talbot Green and the Retail Park, additional space to wait in – without obstructing traffic going straight ahead.

The project will also alter the staging of the traffic signals at this junction, in order to improve the junction’s capacity and traffic flow.

The project is being funded by the Welsh Government’s Local Transport Network Fund, and the Council has appointed Horan Construction Ltd to deliver the scheme. Works will begin on Monday, July 23, and are due for completion by September 2018. The works have been programmed throughout the school summer holidays, when traffic flow is generally lower, in order to minimise disruption to road users.

The project will require Traffic Management, including lane closures outside of peak travel periods in the morning and afternoon, to safely carry out the works. However, there are no plans for any full road closures during the scheme.

Councillor Andrew Morgan, Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and Cabinet Member with responsibility for Highways, said: “The Council has welcomed the £150,000 investment by the Welsh Government to carry out these important improvements in Talbot Green, which is part of a wider £300,000 Welsh Government Local Transport Network Fund.

“The A4119 Corridor has been identified as a Strategic Opportunity Area by the Council to explore future investment, and it is therefore vital to keep improving this busy road network.

“The Council has recently delivered Highway improvements in this area – a multi-million pound project to vastly increase the capacity of Talbot Green Roundabout has been very well-received since it was completed last summer, while significant improvements to the A473/A4222 Cowbridge Road junction, known locally as Leekes Lights, were completed earlier this year.

“Securing external investment to deliver Highway schemes is important for the Council, to complement our own significant investment in this area. During April 2018, £2.67m funding was secured from the Welsh Government for Highways and Transportation schemes over the next year – alongside the Council’s own £23.6m Highways Capital Programme for 2018/19.

“The junction improvement works in Talbot Green will get underway at the start of the school summer holiday on July 23. Related survey works have already taken place on Sundays in July, ahead of the main scheme.

“The project will improve traffic flow by giving vehicles, waiting to turn right into Talbot Green town centre and the Retail Park, a longer lane to wait in – resulting in fewer obstructions for vehicles carrying straight on at the junction. Improvements to the traffic light signalling staging will also improve traffic flow, especially on the A4119.

“The Council will work closely with its contractor to minimise disruption. I’d like to thank residents in advance for their cooperation while these important improvements, to deliver long-term benefits for road users, are carried out.”